Public manager + Health | The Guardianhttp://www.theguardian.com/society/series/publicmanager+health
Indexen-gbGuardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. 2015Sun, 02 Aug 2015 18:39:32 GMT2015-08-02T18:39:32Zen-gbGuardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. 2015The Guardianhttp://assets.guim.co.uk/images/guardian-logo-rss.c45beb1bafa34b347ac333af2e6fe23f.pnghttp://www.theguardian.com
It is our duty to keep the NHS accountable to patients | Ben Jupphttp://www.theguardian.com/society/2015/jul/14/our-duty-keeping-nhs-accountable
Simon Stevens’ plans to integrate disparate NHS organisations into larger groups will change the purchaser/provider split and could have far-reaching consequences for ownership and governance<p>I joined the NHS in the early 1990s as a management trainee, when commissioning was in its infancy. The theory was simple: independent local bodies, set apart from the interests of professionals and hospitals, would assess the needs of a population, hold the budget and “purchase” services from providers.</p><p>Yet 25 years later, some of the challenges associated with this approach are more apparent. Services need to innovate, make a better job of joining up care around people and act more rapidly on the insights they gain from users, while managing within ever tighter budgets.</p><p> <span>Related: </span><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/society/2014/oct/23/nhs-radical-overhaul-hospitals-8bn-services">The NHS calls for an extra &pound;8bn by 2020 in order to safeguard its services</a> </p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/society/2015/jul/14/our-duty-keeping-nhs-accountable">Continue reading...</a>NHSHealthSocietyGPsHospitalsTue, 14 Jul 2015 18:00:05 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/society/2015/jul/14/our-duty-keeping-nhs-accountablePhotograph: Christopher Thomond for the GuardianPrimary and acute care systems will bring together hospitals, GPs and community health services into a single body.Ben Jupp2015-07-14T18:00:05ZWhat Bangalore’s hospitals could teach the NHS about efficiency | Martin Elliotthttp://www.theguardian.com/society/2015/jun/02/bangalore-hospitals-nhs-efficiency-staff-tools
<p>We also should value efficiency as much as effectiveness in the health service, with operating rooms used to capacity, detailed financial breakdowns sent to clinicians and patients contacted via mobile phone</p><p>My work – paediatric cardiac surgery – is expensive, specialised, labour-intensive and complex, but in the UK we produce great results. Austerity has put the NHS under immense financial pressure. Despite <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/politics/2015/apr/10/george-osborne-conservative-party-election-pledge-extra-8bn-nhs">a promised &pound;8bn</a>, the NHS still has to find &pound;22bn of “efficiencies”. We are forced to reduce costs, but want to maintain high quality.</p><p>Working out per patient costs for any particular procedure is notoriously difficult, but we know that there is wide international variation, for apparently similar outcomes. A colleague in Bangalore, India, Devi Shetty, once asked why we were spending $50,000 (&pound;32,672) on a case that he could do for less than $3,000. This question goes to the central issue for the NHS – how can we do what we do for less?</p><p>We could use assets more effectively. Most operating rooms are idle in the evenings and weekends, as are MRI machines.</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/society/2015/jun/02/bangalore-hospitals-nhs-efficiency-staff-tools">Continue reading...</a>NHSHealthSocietyDoctorsHealth policyPublic services policyPoliticsPublic financeTue, 02 Jun 2015 13:00:05 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/society/2015/jun/02/bangalore-hospitals-nhs-efficiency-staff-toolsPhotograph: AlamySurgeons in an operating theatre. ‘Enough staff are employed to overlap cases so that the next patient is anaesthetised and ready as the first is sent to intensive care.’ Photograph: AlamyPhotograph: AlamySurgeons in an operating theatre. ‘Enough staff are employed to overlap cases so that the next patient is anaesthetised and ready as the first is sent to intensive care.’ Photograph: AlamyMartin Elliott2015-06-02T13:00:05ZElection winners must shift NHS funding from cure to prevention | Gus O’Donnellhttp://www.theguardian.com/society/2015/apr/21/election-winners-nhs-prevention-spending-review
Gus O’Donnell: The new government should make good use of a five-year term and send a clear message about reprioritising spending to prevent problems<p>The next government is unlikely to be formed by a single party holding a majority of seats in the House of Commons. Assuming that we have a reasonably stable government likely to last the full five-year fixed term, I would suggest an emphasis on early action should play a key role in a world where Danny Alexander could leave his successor a letter saying simply “there is still no money”.</p><p>The first step is to realise that this is the first-ever parliament that starts with a five-year fixed term. It therefore makes sense to have a five-year programme and a five-year spending review to implement that programme.</p><p>The health budget involves enormous spending on cures and a tiny proportion on changing behaviours to prevent problems</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/society/2015/apr/21/election-winners-nhs-prevention-spending-review">Continue reading...</a>Public financeGeneral election 2015SocietyPoliticsNHSHealthTue, 21 Apr 2015 14:00:07 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/society/2015/apr/21/election-winners-nhs-prevention-spending-reviewPhotograph: Toby Melville/ReutersThe Treasury will want better government, not more expensive government. Photograph: Toby Melville/ReutersPhotograph: Toby Melville/ReutersThe Treasury will want better government, not more expensive government. Photograph: Toby Melville/ReutersGus O'Donnell2015-04-21T14:00:07ZHow lessons from the building industry are transforming mental health services | Denis O’Rourkehttp://www.theguardian.com/society/2015/apr/15/new-alliance-contract-for-mental-health-services-transformed-in-lambeth
A new single contract for all providers is moving services away from high-cost, bed-based provision to supporting people to live in their own homes, at a much lower cost<br /><br /><p>Lambeth has some of the highest rates of mental health diagnosis in the country, and commissioning mental health services is one of the biggest challenges facing the council and the local NHS. This is why we as a council have joined forces with Lambeth clinical commissioning group (CCG), GPs and service providers, such as the South London and Maudsley NHS foundation trust, and voluntary and community-sector organisations – <a href="http://www.thamesreach.org.uk/" title="">Thames Reach</a> and <a href="http://www.certitude.org.uk/" title="">Certitude</a> – to operate under an “alliance contract”.</p><p>Pioneered by the construction industry, <a href="https://www.acevo.org.uk/news/alliance-contracting-report" title="">this is a new way of working</a>, where providers have one contract, a single performance framework aligned to objectives and shared risks. Contract incentives are focused on the rehabilitation and recovery of service users rather than on existing assets or activity (such as secure residential settings). And all partners have an equal stake in getting – and then keeping – people well.</p><p>Our living well network brings together services from all sectors to provide support before people reach a crisis</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/society/2015/apr/15/new-alliance-contract-for-mental-health-services-transformed-in-lambeth">Continue reading...</a>Mental healthSocietyHealthSocial careLocal governmentNHSGPsWed, 15 Apr 2015 06:30:00 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/society/2015/apr/15/new-alliance-contract-for-mental-health-services-transformed-in-lambethPhotograph: Justin Paget/CorbisLambeth’s aim is to support people to live at home in their own communities with help provided much earlier through personalised care and support packages, including personal budgets.Photograph: Justin Paget/CorbisLambeth’s aim is to support people to live at home in their own communities with help provided much earlier through personalised care and support packages, including personal budgets.Denis O'Rourke2015-04-15T06:30:00ZThe humble hospital gown is a metaphor for how we can transform the NHS | Damon Kamminghttp://www.theguardian.com/society/2015/mar/31/hospital-gown-metaphor-transform-nhs-patients-experience
Patients complain of feeling exposed and left to wait too long in a draughty gown. We are listening to their poor experiences to improve services<p>NHS England’s blueprint for the future, the Five Year Forward View, says: “Sometimes the health service has been prone to operating a ‘factory’ model of care and repair with limited engagement with the wider community” and a “short-sighted approach to partnerships”. This is certainly true when it comes to the experience of a patient having surgery.</p><p>I thought that being a consultant anaesthetist familiar with the process of surgery, it would be a routine experience when I had to have a series of operations. But this was not the case at all.</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/society/2015/mar/31/hospital-gown-metaphor-transform-nhs-patients-experience">Continue reading...</a>HospitalsSocietyNHSHealthTue, 31 Mar 2015 11:00:05 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/society/2015/mar/31/hospital-gown-metaphor-transform-nhs-patients-experiencePhotograph: Christopher Furlong/Getty Images‘Patient feedback provides invaluable intelligence and insightful ideas about how to improve care and redesign services.’ Photograph: Christopher Furlong/Getty ImagesPhotograph: Christopher Furlong/Getty Images‘Patient feedback provides invaluable intelligence and insightful ideas about how to improve care and redesign services.’ Photograph: Christopher Furlong/Getty ImagesDamon Kamming2015-03-31T11:00:05ZManchester must seize the £6bn opportunity to improve care | John Comptonhttp://www.theguardian.com/society/2015/mar/10/manchester-health-social-care-integrated-service-nothern-ireland
The ‘transforming your care’ model in Northern Ireland shows how an integrated health and social care service can be shaped to work better for the citizen<p>Northern Ireland has had integrated health and social care since 1973. The budget is around &pound;5bn for the 1.8&nbsp;million people who live in the province. In many ways the scale and size is analogous to Manchester, which has announced it will run its own <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/society/2015/feb/25/greater-manchester-to-get-control-of-6bn-of-health-spending" title="">&pound;6bn&nbsp;health and social care budget</a>.</p><p>Devolved responsibility allows the Northern Ireland executive to set policy and take major decisions in health and social care. A regional commissioning system secures the services and five large integrated trusts, along with general practice, deliver the care.</p><p>Integration requires strong leadership, focused on the citizen, not on a professional vested interest</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/society/2015/mar/10/manchester-health-social-care-integrated-service-nothern-ireland">Continue reading...</a>HealthSocial careNHSLocal governmentSocietyNorthern IrelandManchesterTue, 10 Mar 2015 15:00:00 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/society/2015/mar/10/manchester-health-social-care-integrated-service-nothern-irelandPhotograph: View Pictures/UIG via Getty ImagesThe Carlisle health and care centre in Belfast. Northern Ireland’s integrated system is putting an emphasis on prevention as well as primary care. Photograph: View Pictures/GettyPhotograph: View Pictures/UIG via Getty ImagesThe Carlisle health and care centre in Belfast. Northern Ireland’s integrated system is putting an emphasis on prevention as well as primary care. Photograph: View Pictures/GettyJohn Compton2015-03-10T15:00:00ZWhere pain in the NHS goes untreated – among its staffhttp://www.theguardian.com/society/2015/feb/03/nhs-staff-in-pain-work-stress
Pleas for help to cope with work stress and fear voiced by NHS staff to a confidential service are growing, yet the organisation can’t or won’t listen<p>The <a href="http://www.php.nhs.uk">Practitioner-Health-Programme (PHP) </a>is a confidential service for doctors and dentists with mental health or addiction problems. Since 2008 it has seen nearly 1,600 practitioner-patients. The number of referrals has increased from three to 17 per week in recent years, and the average age of those attending the service has fallen, with the peak age now only 29 years old.</p><p>Clinicians at PHP have heard about doctors who are bullied and those who do the bullying: those being complained about and the complainant: the junior doctor whistleblowing about lack of supervision and the senior, drowning in work, unable to find the time to teach. Unbeknown to each other, entire hospital departments pass through PHP, complaining about each other and the lack of support from their managers, clinicians or their directors.</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/society/2015/feb/03/nhs-staff-in-pain-work-stress">Continue reading...</a>SocietyNHSHealthPublic sector careersBullyingTue, 03 Feb 2015 15:30:02 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/society/2015/feb/03/nhs-staff-in-pain-work-stressPhotograph: Christopher Thomond/GuardianRepeated NHS reorganisations are blamed for fracturing staff relationships and creating a sense of anxiety and danger. Photograph: Christopher Thomond for the GuardianPhotograph: Christopher Thomond/GuardianRepeated NHS reorganisations are blamed for fracturing staff relationships and creating a sense of anxiety and danger. Photograph: Christopher Thomond for the GuardianClare Gerada2015-02-03T15:30:02ZBetter use of data could help prevent future NHS crises | Matthew Bryanthttp://www.theguardian.com/society/2015/jan/27/nhs-accident-and-emergency-use-data-better-for-planning
We need to get much better at using the information we have to predict the impact of changes in primary care, social care and community services, as well as in underlying patterns of disease<p>It has come as some surprise to me, as an operations director in an acute hospital, that even the more technical details of my world have become the subject of public debate, as one hospital after another has faced a crisis with emergency care.</p><p>Like many hospitals, Musgrove Park hospital in Taunton has experienced significant increases in demand this winter. While teams have worked hard to provide emergency care – and our own A&amp;E waiting times are among the best in the country – we know we have fallen short of the high standards we set ourselves. People have waited too long; <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/society/2015/jan/10/a-and-e-doctors-warn-patient-misery-planned-surgery" title="">operations have been cancelled</a>; and we have had to open overflow beds over and above levels planned for the winter.</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/society/2015/jan/27/nhs-accident-and-emergency-use-data-better-for-planning">Continue reading...</a>NHSHealthSocial careSocietyTue, 27 Jan 2015 15:29:09 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/society/2015/jan/27/nhs-accident-and-emergency-use-data-better-for-planningPhotograph: David LeveneThe key to providing effective NHS emergency services is to use the information we already have to predict the impact of changes in the underlying pattern of disease and in primary care and social care. Photograph: David LevenePhotograph: David LeveneThe key to providing effective NHS emergency services is to use the information we already have to predict the impact of changes in the underlying pattern of disease and in primary care and social care. Photograph: David LeveneMatthew Bryant2015-01-27T15:29:09ZCircle was not the problem at Hinchingbrooke hospital | Tom Levitthttp://www.theguardian.com/society/2015/jan/20/circle-failure-hinchingbrooke-hospital-poor-nhs-contract
The problem was with the commissioning. Public services cannot afford to ignore the power of business to deliver results, so post-Circle they must work to produce better contracts<p>The recent intense <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/society/2015/jan/13/public-services-nhs-hinchingbrooke-circle-cannot-be-run-like-businesses" title="">debate over public sector outsourcing</a> has been fuelled by people’s passion for public services. We’d all agree with that. While ​it may be wrong to run a public service exactly like a business, it is also wrong to believe that public services can neither learn from nor utilise businesses and business techniques to make them better.</p><p>No one I know is calling for all public services to be run like businesses, though many businesses would benefit from being run more like public services. If the only point of having diverse suppliers for public services is to make the public sector more commercial, then it would indeed fail, and that should be avoided.</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/society/2015/jan/20/circle-failure-hinchingbrooke-hospital-poor-nhs-contract">Continue reading...</a>NHSPublic services policyLocal governmentPrisons and probationHealthSocietyPoliticsBusinessTue, 20 Jan 2015 15:30:07 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/society/2015/jan/20/circle-failure-hinchingbrooke-hospital-poor-nhs-contractPhotograph: John Robertson/GuardianHinchingbrooke hospital, Huntingdon: the demand on A&E was well above what Circle was told to expect. Photograph: John Robertson for the GuardianPhotograph: John Robertson/GuardianHinchingbrooke hospital, Huntingdon: the demand on A&E was well above what Circle was told to expect. Photograph: John Robertson for the GuardianTom Levitt2015-01-20T15:30:07ZWhy the UK’s drug strategy should remain a Home Office responsibility | Paul Hayeshttp://www.theguardian.com/society/2014/nov/25/uk-drug-strategy-home-office
Handing the reins to the Department of Health might seem a liberal-minded approach, but it could mean less is spent on treatment<p>Former home office minister Norman Baker’s <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/politics/2014/nov/03/norman-baker-resigns-home-office-minister" title="">parting shot from government</a> earlier this month was to call for leadership of the UK drug strategy to move from an enforcement-obsessed Home Office to a treatment-focused Department of Health. The rationale is that “drugs is a health issue” and the “faltering steps” England has taken to improve treatment need to accelerate, a task best driven from health. My view, based on 12 years in Whitehall responsible for the English drug treatment system, is that it would be a disaster.</p><p>Drug policy and drug treatment has never been a priority for the DH or the NHS. The financial crisis, the interface between health and social care, waiting times, cancer, dementia, and a host of other issues dominate the DH/NHS agenda. Even when policy is focused on the wider social determinants of health in an effort to reduce the burden on scarce NHS resources, the priorities are smoking (80,000 deaths a year), obesity (30,000) and alcohol (6,500) – not illegal drugs (2,000). Drug use simply doesn’t kill enough people or cause as much ill-health as other risky behaviours, and the priority accorded to it by successive DH and NHS leaderships reflects that.</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/society/2014/nov/25/uk-drug-strategy-home-office">Continue reading...</a>DrugsNHSHealthSocietyTue, 25 Nov 2014 12:00:00 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/society/2014/nov/25/uk-drug-strategy-home-officePhotograph: Julian Simmonds/Rex FeaturesHalf of the rise in crime in the 1980s and 90s is attributable to the successive waves of heroin epidemics. Photograph: Julian Simmonds/Rex FeaturesPhotograph: Julian Simmonds/Rex FeaturesHalf of the rise in crime in the 1980s and 90s is attributable to the successive waves of heroin epidemics. Photograph: Julian Simmonds/Rex FeaturesPaul Hayes2014-11-25T12:00:00ZEbola is a risk the UK can defend against locally | Paul Nethertonhttp://www.theguardian.com/society/2014/oct/28/uk-can-defend-against-ebola-locally
Emergency services, NHS and border staff have been meeting at local resilience forums to identify Ebola risks and to lay plans that will contain any outbreak<p><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/society/2014/jul/30/ebola-what-is-the-real-risk" title="">Ebola is not a serious threat to the UK</a>, but it is one we must be ready for at both national and local level. Earlier this month, hundreds of staff from local services from all over the country, who will be the first to respond in any health or other civil emergency, spent two days working&nbsp;out how to deal with a potential Ebola outbreak.</p><p>In my own region, Devon and Cornwall, 90 people from our local resilience forum (LRF), including representatives from the emergency services, the NHS, sea ports, airports and local authorities, took part in a planning exercise. It followed a meeting of the central Cobra emergency committee, chaired by health secretary Jeremy Hunt, on which I represent the police.</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/society/2014/oct/28/uk-can-defend-against-ebola-locally">Continue reading...</a>Public Leaders NetworkEmergency planningHealthEmergency servicesSocietyEbolaWorld newsLocal leadershipTue, 28 Oct 2014 13:00:02 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/society/2014/oct/28/uk-can-defend-against-ebola-locallyPhotograph: ANNE-MARIE SANDERSON / DOH / HANDOUT/EPAMedical staff in London test readiness to transport potential Ebola patients by ambulance to specialist treatment units. Photograph: Anne-Marie Sanderson/EPAPhotograph: ANNE-MARIE SANDERSON / DOH / HANDOUT/EPAMedical staff in London test readiness to transport potential Ebola patients by ambulance to specialist treatment units. Photograph: Anne-Marie Sanderson/EPAPaul Netherton2014-10-28T13:00:02ZIn the 19th century it was clean drinking water, now its healthy behaviour | Sally Davieshttp://www.theguardian.com/society/2014/jul/22/public-health-challenges-behviour-environment-planning-business
The greatest health challenge for 21st-century UK society is persuading people to make healthy choices, says the chief medical officer<p>The first wave of public health action occurred in the wake of the industrial revolution. It was primarily aimed at improving environmental conditions: the provision of clean drinking water, improved sewage disposal and safer food. There was also legislation to improve working conditions and protect&nbsp;children.</p><p>It was during this period that <a href="http://www.ph.ucla.edu/epi/snow/snowbook.html" title="">John Snow identified the source of the 1854 Soho cholera epidemic</a> as the public water pump on Broad Street, following conversations with local residents and clever linking of information. It was later discovered that the public well had been dug only three feet from an old cesspit. Snow's study is regarded by many as the founding event of the science of epidemiology and is an early demonstration of the value of good public health practice.</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/society/2014/jul/22/public-health-challenges-behviour-environment-planning-business">Continue reading...</a>HealthObesityNHSSocietyLocal governmentBusinessTue, 22 Jul 2014 14:59:00 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/society/2014/jul/22/public-health-challenges-behviour-environment-planning-businessMatt Cardy/Getty ImagesLocal government could act to limit the effects of alcohol, tobacco and fast food by incorporating a health impact assessment into the approval processes for planning applications. Photograph: Matt Cardy/Getty ImagesMatt Cardy/Getty ImagesLocal government could act to limit the effects of alcohol, tobacco and fast food by incorporating a health impact assessment into the approval processes for planning applications. Photograph: Matt Cardy/Getty ImagesSally Davies2014-07-22T14:59:00ZWhat can public service managers do to help alleviate loneliness? | Omar Khanhttp://www.theguardian.com/society/2014/jul/15/combatting-loneliness-in-older-people-public-services
The health consequences of loneliness make it a modern social evil that we need to prevent and combat<p>The first step in responding effectively to loneliness is to understand what it is. Loneliness is where the quantity or quality of our relationships doesn't match our expectations. This definition indicates the subjective nature of loneliness, but also reflects the importance of social relationships to individual wellbeing.</p><p>Loneliness tends to be associated with older age, especially when people retire (social loneliness), lose a loved one (emotional loneliness), or can no longer access transport. Public managers in care services are familiar with the more acute aspects of loneliness, especially in later age where loneliness correlates with negative health outcomes.</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/society/2014/jul/15/combatting-loneliness-in-older-people-public-services">Continue reading...</a>Older peopleYoung peopleHealthSocietyWork-life balanceWork & careersHealth & wellbeingTue, 15 Jul 2014 15:00:00 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/society/2014/jul/15/combatting-loneliness-in-older-people-public-servicesNikolaenko Viacheslav /Alamy'The challenge is to ensure that subjective wellbeing and prevention of loneliness is taken seriously in the allocation of scarce resources.' Photograph: Nikolaenko Viacheslav /AlamyNikolaenko Viacheslav /Alamy'The challenge is to ensure that subjective wellbeing and prevention of loneliness is taken seriously in the allocation of scarce resources.' Photograph: Nikolaenko Viacheslav /AlamyOmar Khan2014-07-15T15:00:00ZHow I took Basildon hospital out of special measures | Clare Pannikerhttp://www.theguardian.com/society/2014/jun/18/basildon-hospital-rated-good-work-incomplete
Half the hospital's staff said they would not recommend it to their friends, but it's now being talked about for all the right reasons<p>There were cheers – and tears – of joy last week when I broke the news to colleagues at Basildon hospital that we had been <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-essex-27767928" title="">removed from special measures</a>. The announcement follows a &quot;good&quot; rating from the NHS regulator, and marks the beginning of a new chapter for the hospital.</p><p>It was the experience of one couple, whom I met two months after I was appointed as chief executive of the NHS foundation trust in September 2012, that really drove us to improve. They were the parents of a 10-year-old girl who had died because of our failings.</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/society/2014/jun/18/basildon-hospital-rated-good-work-incomplete">Continue reading...</a>SocietyHospitalsNHSHealthPublic services policyEssexUK newsWed, 18 Jun 2014 06:00:13 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/society/2014/jun/18/basildon-hospital-rated-good-work-incompleteSteve Meddle / Rex Features/Steve Meddle / Rex FeaturesA nurse told the health secretary earlier this year that staff at Basildon hospital now felt listened to when they raised concerns. Photograph: Steve Meddle / Rex FeaturesSteve Meddle / Rex Features/Steve Meddle / Rex FeaturesA nurse told the health secretary earlier this year that staff at Basildon hospital now felt listened to when they raised concerns. Photograph: Steve Meddle / Rex FeaturesClare Panniker2014-06-18T06:00:13ZA better NHS demands freedom for leaders | Tim Kelseyhttp://www.theguardian.com/society/2014/jun/04/better-nhs-demands-freedom-for-leaders
The health service needs to learn how to let go and liberate staff if it is to improve patient experience<p>In the heart of London's Olympic village is another symbol of transforming social leadership: a new health centre, home to a pioneering general practice that is offering some of the most challenged communities in east London a&nbsp;new standard of personalised care.</p><p>Patients here are offered a range of digital services – of the sort they would expect as 21st-century consumers in other areas of their lives: they register online from home, for example, which most do by preference. But the real innovation is in the way in which Dr Arvind Madan and his colleagues at the <a href="http://hurleygroup.co.uk/" title="">Hurley Group</a> – an NHS organisation that runs a number of practices and GP walk-in centres across the capital – have developed a service that allows patients to consult their GP using an online tool that captures a safe, structured history which the GP can use to triage remotely.</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/society/2014/jun/04/better-nhs-demands-freedom-for-leaders">Continue reading...</a>NHSHealthSocietyHealth policyManagementPublic services policyPoliticsWed, 04 Jun 2014 07:00:00 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/society/2014/jun/04/better-nhs-demands-freedom-for-leadersBurger/Phanie/REX/Burger/Phanie/REXNo more waiting room blues. New technology could save a trip to the GP's surgery. Photograph: Burger/Phanie/REXBurger/Phanie/REX/Burger/Phanie/REXNo more waiting room blues. New technology could save a trip to the GP's surgery. Photograph: Burger/Phanie/REXTim Kelsey2014-06-04T07:00:00ZFinally, training to build UK care workers' skills, but no money to pay for it | Justine Cawleyhttp://www.theguardian.com/society/2014/may/13/no-money-uk-care-worker-training
The UK's ageing population will need 1 million care workers, so effective professional development and the funding to deliver it must start now<p>Tomorrow sees the Kingsmill review publish its report into working conditions in the care sector. Like last month's <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/society/2014/apr/30/essex-care-home-worker-sacked-elderly-abuse-claims" title="">Panorama investigation</a> of abuse of older people in care homes, it will highlight the urgent need for well-trained, professional and compassionate social care staff. Older people's care needs are diverse and increasingly complex, ranging from acute and chronic illness to dementia and palliative care, in addition to mobility issues and mental health problems.</p><p>But the specialist knowledge, behaviours and skills required in social care remain seriously underdeveloped. Care-home staff are the forgotten workforce and are often considered to be the lowest of the low by their counterparts in the NHS. As today's residential homes have replaced NHS long-stay hospitals, it's essential that staff have the range of knowledge, skills and practice to cope.</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/society/2014/may/13/no-money-uk-care-worker-training">Continue reading...</a>Care workersOlder peopleSocial careNHSHealthSocietyTue, 13 May 2014 14:30:03 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/society/2014/may/13/no-money-uk-care-worker-trainingRex FeaturesThe specialist knowledge, behaviours and skills required in social care remain seriously underdeveloped. Photograph: Rex FeaturesRex FeaturesThe specialist knowledge, behaviours and skills required in social care remain seriously underdeveloped. Photograph: Rex FeaturesJustine Cawley2014-05-13T14:30:03ZWhy we need to know that poor people are more likely to be bitten by dogs | Jane Dudmanhttp://www.theguardian.com/society/2014/apr/29/poverty-dog-attacks-link-combining-statistics
Crucial insights into public health can be gleaned by public managers pulling together statistics from different sources, such as hospital and crime data<p>Dog bites man has never been a headline, but the fact that three times as many people living in the most deprived areas of England are bitten by dogs as in the least deprived areas is an eye-catching statistic.</p><p>That fact, from the <a href="http://www.hscic.gov.uk/article/4722/Dog-bites-hospital-admissions-in-most-deprived-areas-three-times-as-high-as-least-deprived" title="">Health and Social Care Information Centre</a>, is one of the pieces in an increasingly complex, but potentially hugely powerful mosaic of information about our health and wellbeing. Public managers and government bodies, as well as academics, are starting to realise the value of putting together different bits of the jigsaw to achieve more joined-up thinking about public health policies in local areas.</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/society/2014/apr/29/poverty-dog-attacks-link-combining-statistics">Continue reading...</a>PovertyHealthSocial exclusionNHSSocietyDangerous dogsCrimeTue, 29 Apr 2014 13:01:40 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/society/2014/apr/29/poverty-dog-attacks-link-combining-statisticsXavi Gomez/GettyYou are three times more likely to be bitten by a dog if you live in the most deprived areas of England. Photograph: Xavi Gomez/GettyXavi Gomez/GettyYou are three times more likely to be bitten by a dog if you live in the most deprived areas of England. Photograph: Xavi Gomez/GettyJane Dudman2014-04-29T13:01:40ZFocus on wellbeing – an alternative cure for the NHS's ills | Gus O'Donnellhttp://www.theguardian.com/society/2014/apr/01/wellbeing-alternative-cure-nhs-health
Better prevention, as well as better treatment, can be achieved by government departments joining forces<p>The Department of Health (DH) faces an enormous challenge: how to meet ever-increasing demand from an ageing society while public spending increases no faster than inflation. And maybe less fast: last month's budget implies further public expenditure cuts, to meet the government's deficit targets.</p><p>The &quot;solution&quot; most often proposed is further below-inflation pay rises for NHS staff, more reconfiguration of hospitals and new ways of enhancing productivity. There is no alternative? Well, actually this time there is: but it involves a radical change of focus, a Whitehall shakeup, and some tough spending choices.</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/society/2014/apr/01/wellbeing-alternative-cure-nhs-health">Continue reading...</a>HealthNHSMental healthSocial careSocietyHealth policyEducationEducation policyPoliticsPublic financeTue, 01 Apr 2014 14:00:00 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/society/2014/apr/01/wellbeing-alternative-cure-nhs-healthMurdo MacleodYoung children work out at a children's gym session. Prevention is better than cure when it comes to obesity, which causes many illnesses later in life. Photograph: Murdo MacleodMurdo MacleodYoung children work out at a children's gym session. Prevention is better than cure when it comes to obesity, which causes many illnesses later in life. Photograph: Murdo MacleodGus O'Donnell2014-04-01T14:00:00ZWe aim to develop a specialist older people's workforce | Justine Cawleyhttp://www.theguardian.com/society/2013/nov/19/training-elizabeth-care-specialist-older-peoples-workforce
Elizabeth Care is a training scheme aimed at providing a work-based route into a fulfilling professional career caring for older people<p>Britain's ageing population faces a grim future of unintentional neglect if urgent action isn't taken in the health and social care sectors. The demand for care is likely to rise by 80% in the next 20 years, so the workforce will need to grow by 1.5 million between now and 2033. To make matters worse, with more older people requiring increasingly complex care for long-term conditions, there will be a desperate need for training that combines health and social care approaches.</p><p>Yet the recent scandals in both the NHS, such as <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/society/mid-staffordshire-nhs-trust" title="">Mid Staffordshire</a>, and the private care sector, at the now defunct <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/society/2013/oct/18/neglect-deaths-five-elderly-care-home-orchid-view" title="">Orchid View </a>home run by Southern Cross, show the system is ill-suited to meet the growing demands of the future.</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/society/2013/nov/19/training-elizabeth-care-specialist-older-peoples-workforce">Continue reading...</a>Older peopleSocial careHealthNHSMid Staffordshire NHS TrustSocietyTue, 19 Nov 2013 16:22:00 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/society/2013/nov/19/training-elizabeth-care-specialist-older-peoples-workforceEric Gaillard/ReutersThe Elizabeth Care scheme comprises on-the-job learning designed around the care and individual needs of older people. Photograph: Eric Gaillard/ReutersEric Gaillard/ReutersThe Elizabeth Care scheme comprises on-the-job learning designed around the care and individual needs of older people. Photograph: Eric Gaillard/ReutersJustine Cawley2013-11-19T16:22:00ZAusterity government means a new approach to public services | Richard Harrieshttp://www.theguardian.com/society/2013/oct/02/austerity-government-approach-public-services-cuts
The services facing real-terms cuts have all engaged in vigorous debates on performance and productivity, unlike those 'protected' by ringfenced budgets such as schools and the NHS<p>A consensus is at last emerging for fundamental reform of our public services. For the government, <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/speeches/deputy-prime-ministers-speech-on-the-future-of-the-public-sector" title="">Nick Clegg</a>, <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/speeches/address-by-the-chief-secretary-to-the-treasury-rt-hon-danny-alexander-mp-at-the-reform-conference" title="">Danny Alexander</a>, <a href="http://reform.co.uk/resources/0000/0807/Reform_speech11.pdf" title="">Theresa May</a> and <a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/politics/conservative/9839774/Francis-Maude-We-must-reform-the-public-sector.html" title="">Frances Maude</a> have all made the case over recent months for policies based on outcomes not inputs – where success is defined by the health of the nation and the level of crime, not just the number of nurses and police officers.</p><p>In June, the shadow chancellor, Ed&nbsp;Balls, <a href="http://www.labour.org.uk/striking-the-right-balance-for-the-british-economy" title="">announced</a> that a 2015 Labour administration would show an &quot;iron discipline&quot; and govern &quot;in a very different way with much less money around&quot;. And at the Labour party conference last week, the shadow work and pensions secretary, Liam Byrne, <a href="http://liambyrne.co.uk/my-speech-to-labour-party-conference-in-brighton-23rd-september-2013/" title="">defined successful reform</a> &quot;not by the money we spend but the difference we make. There is no moral credibility without financial viability.&quot;</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/society/2013/oct/02/austerity-government-approach-public-services-cuts">Continue reading...</a>Public sector cutsPublic services policyPublic financeNHSHealthSocietyPoliticsWed, 02 Oct 2013 06:30:00 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/society/2013/oct/02/austerity-government-approach-public-services-cutsBen Stansall/AFP/Getty ImagesDemonstrators in London protest against government austerity measures. Photograph: Ben Stansall/AFP/Getty ImagesBen Stansall/AFP/Getty ImagesDemonstrators in London protest against government austerity measures. Photograph: Ben Stansall/AFP/Getty ImagesRichard Harries2013-10-02T06:30:00Z